Remembering the 'Yes We Can' Angels

From left: Angels fans Paul Walker, Bill Kristinat, and George Carmack in their Angels season seats. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL WALKER

Bill Kristinat and Paul Walker found out just how much impact fans can have on their favorite team after watching the Angels lose to the division leading Kansas City Royals on September 8th, 1978.

That's the night a phenomenon was born.

After working for three seasons in concession and souvenir sales at Angel Stadium during high school and then going their separate ways for college, Bill and Paul reunited in Orange County as roommates. And after scraping together the almost $300 each needed for a field level seat, they became Angels season ticket holders.

Bill and Paul, along with their friend George Carmack, were there for every game, cheering on their favorite baseball team. Having never won a division title, September of 1978 found the Angels in contention with the division leading Royals. On September 8th, 1978, they began a four game set with Kansas City in Anaheim, sitting only 2-1/2 games back. And then that night, the Angels promptly lost to the Royals. That wasn't exactly the way to start a series with the team you were chasing.

At home after the game, disappointed by the loss, Bill and Paul wondered what they as fans could do to help the team. There was a double-header the next day and with that, a good opportunity to pick up a couple of games in the standings.

"With an almost sophomoric innocence, we believed we could come up with a way to will the team to win", recounted Paul Walker.

And so that night they came up with an idea. They found an old college visor of Bill's from his days playing football for University of Nevada, Reno. As a way to get the team inspired for their big game against UNLV, Bill's football coach had distributed these visors to the team printed with the phrase "Yes We Can". It was perfect, they thought.

The next day at the double header, Bill and Paul showed up to the stadium with homemade signs that said "Yes We Can!". They made their way around the stadium, stopping often to lead fans in the cheer. The Angels won the first game.

Then came the second game, which was televised. Bill and Paul continued running around the stadium with their signs. By this time, the stadium organist had picked up on the chant and added some music. The words "Yes We Can!" appeared on the stadium screen and television cameras began following them, giving the fans at home a glimpse of this new slogan. The Angels won the second game, as well as the final game of the series the next day, moving to just a half a game back of Kansas City. Fans began to feel a sense of hope. Would this be the year their beloved Halos would finally make the postseason?

The Angels ended the 1978 season five games behind the Royals in the AL West. But the "Yes We Can" slogan had gained plenty of traction with the fans, and the Angels organization. So much so, that the Angels officially made it their slogan for the 1979 season.

And in 1979, the Angels finally overtook the Royals, finishing the season three games up and becoming AL West Division Champions for the first time in their history. "Yes We Can" became "Yes We Did".

On April 11, 1980, Kristinat and Walker were recognized for their creativity and devotion to the team with the honor of throwing out the first pitch at the season home opener. It was truly a highlight for them both, as evidenced by the joy in their voices as they reminisced over the memories from those years.

"Without that series of events coming together; the double-header, the game being televised, the organist and the TV crews picking up on the chant; I don't think it would have ever taken off like it did", said Bill Kristinat.

He's probably right. But that series of events would lead to what I think has been not only the most memorable slogan the Angels have used in their almost 50 year existence, but also one of the most recognizable elements of Angels baseball, period.

The best part about this is that it wasn't a proposal by a marketing group or a selection decided upon by a bunch of executives in a boardroom. This slogan was brought to life by a couple of Angels fans, who were enthusiastically doing whatever they could to help spur their team to victory. And it worked.

This season may end more like 1978 than 1979 for the Angels. But if you've ever wondered if your love for your favorite sports team could ever have an effect of significance, I think Bill and Paul would tell you definitively, yes it can.

From left: Angels fans Paul Walker, Bill Kristinat, and George Carmack in their Angels season seats. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL WALKER
April 11, 1980. California Angels Opening Day vs. Cleveland Indians. The Angels won 10-2. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL WALKER
April 11, 1980. California Angels Opening Day. You can see the stadium was in the process of being renovated for the Rams upcoming NFL season that fall. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL WALKER
April 11, 1980. California Angels Opening Day. Paul Walker and Bill Kristinat prepare to throw the ceremonial first pitch. Walker pitched to Kristinat. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL WALKER
April 11, 1980. California Angels Opening Day. Paul Walker throws out the first pitch to Bill Kristinat. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL WALKER
April 11, 1980. California Angels Opening Day. Walker and Kristinat after throwing out the first pitch. Notice the aluminum foil halos; the two often wore those while leading the fans in the "Yes We Can" chant. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL WALKER
October 13, 2002. Jose and Bengie Molina salute the fans with a "Yes We Can" banner after defeating the Minnesota Twins, earning their first ever trip to the World Series. PHOTO BY WILL LESTER
April 11, 1980. California Angels Opening Day. Walker and Kristinat never pass up an opportunity to get the crowd going. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL WALKER

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